Nura Path of the Shinobi
by marshalanime
Summary: Naruto Nura, grandson of Nurarihyon and future head of the Nura clan has many trials ahead of him. He's determined to become the Nura clan's next successor and follow in his father's footsteps. Born from two worlds he will become strong enough to protect everything he holds dear.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, Marshalanime here. I've been meaning to make this story for a while now but never got around to it. I've been constantly revising the story ans set up in my head and feel like I've finally settled on a version I like. Hopefully I'll be able to update regularly but I can't make any promises with it being the holiday season and all.**

 **Hope you all enjoy the story!**

 **(Marshalanime does not own Naruto or Nurarihyon no Mago)**

Ukiyoe town at a glance seemed like any other you'd come across in the region. It wasn't until one looked past the people going about their daily routine, past the bright world of humans and delved deeper into the shadows that they'd see what made Ukiyoe so special. It was in this town where the main house of the Nura, a clan of powerful yokai resided. Nurarihyon was the man responsible for gathering these yokai under his command so many generations ago and now he looked forward to the day that his grandson would take over his position and become the third supreme commander of the Nura clan.

Another night had past for the yokai that inhabited the old compound of the Nura clan, the building itself being older than some of it's long living residence. This morning they had all gathered at the request of Nurarihyon's hopeful successor, Naruto Nura.

"Is everyone here?" the young boy asked as he looked over the many yokai present. To most the sight would instill terror but to him it was comforting to see them all. His bright blond hair came off as unruly and messy, his almond shaped eyes were were deep blue, and on his cheeks he bore whisker like birthmarks. He stood before them in his black school uniform with his bag hanging from his left shoulder.

"Yes, every member of the Nura clan is here" a monk garbed in black answered. Following shortly after the large yokai kneeling along side him thanked the young boy for assembling them. "We couldn't be more honored as your retainers" the monk added after his friend finished.

"It is fitting that you, as the third, have called us all together. Yes, yes indeed" a small human like black bird commented as he fluttered in front of the boy. For Naruto's part he rolled his eyes at Karasu Tengu's way of putting it. He didn't really feel like it was all that big a deal.

"Okay Master Naruto," a girl's voice spoke up bringing Naruto's attention down in front of him. Like the rest of his most trusted guardians she sat at the front of the group. Her hair was long with a very dark blue being it's main color while a very light blue spread out from the top of her head. "Who are we up against? Give us the order and we'll go kick their butt" the girl said with a bit of enthusiasm behind her words.

"Nah, it's nothing like that" Naruto said with a small grin. It had been a while since they went out to deal with someone but that's not what he wanted to talk about. "I called you all here to make a request" the boy told them.

"Request?" the girl repeated, a bit surprised.

"You have a request for us?" a man with hair a similar shade to Naruto's asked, his head floating above his shoulders with only a scarf to help conceal his lack of a neck.

"Yes" the boy told them before continuing. "I'd like it if non of you went to the old junior high school building tonight. Me and a few friends are going there tonight and I don't want them freaking out if they saw one of you" the blond told them. Sure, his friends are going there for the purpose of seeing yokai but their still just ordinary middle school students, he didn't want them getting too scared.

"So we can't go... because your friends will be there?" the monk asked, a part of his long hair falling between his eyes.

"Eh, more or less" Naruto said with a small, nervous chuckle. "Sorry guys" Naruto started as he turned to walk off. "It'd be a hassle coming up with an excuse if they say a yokai" he told them. Turning his head back he then calling out to them as he left, "Don't worry, we'll head out tomorrow night. I've been hearing rumors that some yokai have been causing problems around town so it should be fun".

With that out of the way it was off to school. "Oh, Naruto" a woman with long red hair said as she turned a corner to see the blond running by. "I just got a message from Iruka. There's a big test at the end of the week and missing its not an option" she told the boy as he ran past her.

"Thanks mom! I'll be sure to be there" Naruto told her without skipping a beat and continuing on his way.

"Have a good day at school sweaty!" Kushina called out before giving a thin smile as the boy disappeared around the corner with a "I will!".

"Please wait a moment master!" Karasu Tengu called out as he caught up to the blond at the main entrance. Flying over the blond as he but on his shoes Karasu Tengu suggested that he take a sword with him.

"It's too hard to hide a sword" Naruto told him as he finished with his shoes and stood up. Karasu was about to insist upon it when the blond cut him off with a kunai pulled from his sleeve. "Calm down, it's not like I'm unarmed" the blond said with a grin at the look on Karasu's face. "Besides" Naruto started as he put the weapon away "I'm only going to school. I doubt I'll even need this much".

With everything ready Naruto set out for school, only to stop half way to the main gate when he saw who was walking through it. The man wore a purple shihakusho lined with white cloth and a green haori. His hair had a grey tone to it at the top that became black towards the tips. The right half of his face was covered by his hair with a few loose strands that hung over the left side and hooked around his ear and had a bit of stubble running across his jaw and chin.

"Good morning Gyuki-sensei" Naruto greeted the man with a short bow. Since he was young Naruto wished to become strong for not only himself but also the clan and village that he loved. One day he had witnessed Gyuki handle an assassin with ease and begs the man to train him. Training under Gyuki was not ease, the man pushed him past his limits every time. On the few occasions he'd gone to Gyuki's mountain he'd always return battered and bruised after the trip but every time he went there with a smile knowing he'd be stronger for it.

"Hello young master" Gyuki greeted in kind as he came to a stop in front of the boy. "I'm glad to see you are looking well today Naruto. Nothing could please me more" the man said with a bow of his head as the boy raised his.

"Yes, I'm glad to see you're looking in good health as well" Naruto told the man.

"Will you be attending tonight's meeting?" Gyuki asked and watched as the boys grin died down.

"No, I already have plans so I can't attend" Naruto told the man.

"I'm sure the subject of your succession with be brought up. It usually is" Gyuki told the boy. "Perhaps it would help convince everyone if you were to attend" Gyuki suggested to the boy. Like the others he too had concerns for the clan's future after the Second past away. The supreme commander was not what he once was and Naruto was still such a young child at the time. Even when the boy came of age there were worries over whether someone with only a quart of yokai blood in his veins could lead the clan, but he'd seen the boy's strength with his own eyes. Even without his yokai form Naruto would be able to lead the Nura clan as his father and grandfather did before him.

"I doubt it" Naruto responded with a sigh accompanying it. "You know as well as I do that those old yokai won't agree to my succession as I am" Naruto said with a sagely nod. If he knew how to take on his yokai form there wouldn't be any question about his succession but he hasn't been able to do that since the incident four years ago.

Coming out of his thought the blond once more glanced up at Gyuki. The man may known for his stoic image but the boy had spent enough time around him to know what he was thinking, most of the time anyway. "Don't worry so much about it. It's not a matter of 'if' but 'when'" Naruto told the man. "My goal hasn't changed, with or without my yokai form I will become the third" Naruto told him before stepping aside so he could continue on his way to school. "Just give it some more time, they'll come around eventually" the blond said as he walked past Gyuki.

Left standing there Gyuki had one thought running through his head, "There was only so much time left".


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back! And I've brought with me the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy and I hope to see you all again soon!**

 **(Marshalanime does not own Naruto or** **Nurarihyon no Mago)**

"So you see, youkai really do exist!" Was the phrase Naruto heard as he walked into homeroom. Kiyotsugu, the teen who uttered it was standing up by the front desk with his mid-length wavy black hair hanging messily around his face like usual.

"What's going on here?" Naruto asked one of his classmates as Kana came into the room behind him, a girl he'd known since childhood.

"Kiyotsugu from the next class over is talking about youkai. Apparently he's going to spend the lunch break going around giving a talk" the student informed Naruto.

'I can see that much' Naruto thought to himself before diverting his attention to Kiyotsugu.

"What makes you so sure?" one student asked as he leaned back in his seat with his arms folded behind his head.

"According to my researcher, indeed, the legendary youkai of old may now be reluctant to show their faces. That's because they have a hard time blending into the scenery of modern day" Kiyotsugu said as he rested his weight on the desk with his right hand. "However!" he cried out as he reached behind him for his laptop. "From the data and eye-witness reports gathered on my sight, the answer has emerged! That is..." the guy said while showing of the computer screen for everyone to see. "Youkai shift from generation to generation. So no matter what age it is, they're always working their evil in our everyday lives!" Kiyotsugu told them.

"Well he's certainty changes his tune over the years" Kana commented as she set her bag down on her desk. Back when they were younger Kiyotsugu was one of the first to ridicule Naruto for saying youkai were real, now he was the biggest youkai fanatic he knew. Though nearly getting killed at the hands of children murdering youkai would probably change ones mind.

With the past in mind it annoyed Naruto even more to hear the other students either agreeing with or waving off what Kiyotsugu said with an excuse. 'It doesn't matter where I go I always end up with a friend way more popular than me' Naruto regretfully thought to himself as he sat down and let his head drop onto his desk with a thud.

"Ah, Nura! You're here. I hope you're ready for tonight?" Kiyotsugu greeted as he walked over to the blond. Lifting his head up with a small red mark on his forehead Naruto told him he was.

"Tonight?" Kana asked as she looked between the two, a curious look on her face.

Naruto was about to tell her what they planned to do but Kiyotsugu beat him to it. "That's right! Tonight we're going to investigate the old school building for any sings of youkai!" he enthusiastically told her.

When Kana repeated 'the old school building' in a confused tone Naruto explained for her, "It's the building that got cut off from everything else when they build the road ten years ago. There's no official way to get to it now so everyone just left it to rot".

"Is that so?" the girl commented. After a brief pause Kana went on to ask "So who's all going? Just the two of you?".

"Not at all!" Kiyotsugu exclaimed. "Shima, along with two individuals from the other class will be coming with us" the teen told her.

"Individuals? Didn't they tell you their names?" Naruto questioned the boy while giving him an incredulous look.

"The thought of asking for their names slipped my mind at the time but it shouldn't be a problem" Kiyotsugu admitted.

"Can I come?" Naruto heard Kana ask and immediately turned his head to give her a surprised look. After noticing his expression she asked what was so surprising.

"Well, it's just... haven't you always been afraid of youkai?" Naruto asked the girl. Her fear was the main reason he'd never invited the girl to him home, he'd trust her with his live but he didn't want her getting scared of the inhabitants.

"Youkai aren't real so why would I be afraid of them?" the girl told him.

"Oh, right... of course" Naruto said with a nervous smile. It was sound logic except for the fact that youkai were real, but he didn't need to tell her that.

With that Kana was welcome to join them and the day past by as usual. Once the sun had gone down it was time for everyone to gather just in front of school property. Kana, Kiyotsugu, and Shima he was already familiar with, but then there were the two Kiyotsugu mentioned earlier. The first was a girl with long dark blue hair with a brighter shade of blue at the top. The second was a guy who was quite honestly gigantic for a middle school student with his brown hair slicked back. He had the strangest feeling that he knew them for the the life of him he couldn't figure out where he'd met them.

"Thanks so much for coming along. I'm sorry, but would you tell me your names?" Kiyotsugu asked they pair now that everyone was present.

"I'm Tsurara Oikawa! I just love this type of stuff!" Tsurara told them with a big smile on her face. Kiyotsugu gladly welcomed her while Shima stood next to him with a smitten look on his face.

After a moment of no one seeing to wait for his introduction the other fellow introduced himself. "I like it too. I'm Kurata" Kurata said as he places his hands on Shima's shoulders but ended up lifting the much smaller boy off the ground in the process. Shima was unsurprisingly surprised by the sudden lift but took it mostly in stride.

After Kiyotsugu explained that they'd be crossing the two lain highway to get to the building the group was off and soon in front of their destination.

"Wooooow... it's so much creepier up close isn't it!" Tsurara commented as the group stood in front of the old decrepit building.

"It... really doesn't feel like a place people should go in and out of" Shima said from his spot at the back of the group.

"Aside from the road we crossed earlier there really is no other way to get here. It's dangerous and you can't get close close to it" Kiyotsugu said as him and Tsurara pried open the old doors. Turning on their flashlights they then started to file into the building. "Anyway, this will be a detailed investigation. If there are any youkai here I'm sure something will happen that'll lead us to that person!" Kiyotsugu said as he led the party forward.

'That person' huh? If only Kiyotsugu knew he met his idol everyday at school. Naruto didn't have any solid memories from that night, but four years ago he transformed into his youkai form in order to save his friends from a failed attempt on his life. On that night Gagoze trapped the school bus he was meant to ride home inside a tunnel with a rock-slide. When he got home and heard the news it was said he transformed and lead the parade of a hundred demons to save the other kids and kill Gagoze. On that night, he wasn't human.

Deep in his thought Naruto found himself being jolted back to reality by the sensation of someone pressing up against him. Glancing over his should he saw Kana walking right behind him, her hand clutching his sleeve while her eyes darted back and forth. The sight brought a small smile to his face. He'd never let anything happen to her.

After a bit more walking they came across a good room to start with. As expected it was filled with dusty shelves and old supplies that no one could have been bothered to gather before abandoning the building. "Hey wait, Naruto! Don't just go off on your own!" Kana told the boy as he, and subsequently her, moved off toward the other side of the room while the others still hung around the entrance.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine" Naruto told the girl with a smile as he looked back at her. He'd already told everyone at home not to come here but those in the Nura clan were not the only youkai in the area. It's entirely possible that unaffiliated youkai are roaming around here and he was he only one able to handle them should it come to that.

Shining his life into one of the dark corners on the room revealed a small, very creepy looking girl huddled next to a book-shelve. The two of them stared into the others eyes for a few seconds while Kana was looking elsewhere. His concerns proven right Naruto gave the youkai a brief smile before taking his light off her before Kana noticed.

Fortunately there were no other youkai in the room but there was still the rest of the building to get through. Being the last two to leave the room Naruto and Kana ended up at the back of the group as they continued. "Hmm... I guess this is the boiler room" Kiyotsugu said as they came to a stop in front of the room.

"Whoa, looks dangerous... There's still water flowing. Should we try opening it?" Shima suggested from his spot next to Kiyotsugu. As the pair reached out to the door Naruto got a very bad feeling from the room.

"Wait!" Naruto yelled out as he rushed over to stand in front of the door and freaking them out in the process.

"Wh-What's wrong with you Nura!? You scared the crap out of me" Shima berated his fellow blond for jumping in front of them.

"Uh, sorry, I was just, uh... thirsty! Yeah, thirsty. So..." Naruto scrambled to come up with an excuse when a rush of blood-lust crept up behind him.

"Blooood. I'm so thirsty... I crave... blood" a hoarse voice whispered in his ear through the cracked open door. With a quick slam of the door Naruto stood there with a nervous grin while hoping the others wouldn't question it.

Naruto would continue to spend the next few hours rush here and there ahead of the group dealing with the many youkai that lived here. Many of them were harmless but the shear number of them was starting to get to him. Kiyotsugu was disappointed with the lack of youkai sightings but Naruto was just hoping they'd wrap this up quickly.

"Is this the last one? Oh, it says it's the cafeteria" Naruto heard Shima say and his head jolted up to see the group heading into the room.

'Shit! Don't let anything be in there! Don't let anything-' Naruto started repeating in his head as he rushed over to them.

"Wow, what a great atmosphere. It really feels like something could show up here, Kiyotsugu" Shima told the guy as they entered the old cafeteria. Getting a chill down his back the shorter boy shined his light over to the corner where odd gnawing sounds were coming from. As the light moved into place the figures of human shaped youkai feasting on some kind of unidentifiable carcass were revealed. Everything seemed to stand still for Shima and Kiyotsugu as the creatures slowly turned their heads to look at them.

When Naruto ran into the room he was met with the sight of his two frightened friends and the desperately tried to scurry out of the room as the youkai launched themselves at them. Kiyotsugu and Shima rushed past him as he came to a stop in front of Kana, her eyes clenched shut from fear. 'Damn bastards! I'll teach you not to threaten my friends!' the blond thought to himself as his hand shoot into his jacket pocket.

It wasn't his intention to get into a fight tonight but so be it. "Master, you don't need to concern yourself with these small fry" Naruto heard immediately to his side as he saw a head of blue hair rush past him. The next thing he saw was Aotabo, one of the Nura clan's main house's two assault officers, and Yuki Onna, one of his most trusted retainers, thrashing the other youkai.

Left there standing with slips of paper with seals inscribed on them Naruto couldn't hep but feel a bit disappointed. 'So much for deal with them myself' the blond thought with a sigh as he put the seals back into his pocket. Maybe next time.

"Hpm, we'll have to be more vigilant next time we head out. Who knows how long these guys have been in our territory" Aotabo commented as they watched the youkai run off to lick their wounds.

"Hey, Yuki Onna, Aotabo..." Naruto said to get their attention.

"What is it Master?" Yuki Onna excitedly asked as she twirled around and Aotabo turned to face him.

"How long have you been going to school?" the blond asked them. The two were clearly able to blend in so it didn't bother him that they were attending, but the fact that he didn't know they were there makes it feel like he's being spied on.

"After that day four years ago. From that point on We've always accompanied you!" Aotabo told him as the two of them took on their human disguise once more.

"Didn't you know? Karasu Tengu must have told you before" Tsurara told him.

"Told me? No one told me anything!" Naruto all but yelled at them.

"No, I definitely told you" Karasu's voice came from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder Naruto saw the small youkai hovering just outside one of the broken windows. Seeing the look on the young master's face Karasu Tengu then added an apology for disobeying and coming here regardless. Though it was only out of concern for the boy.

"N-Naruto... what's going on?" Kana's voice reminded the blond that she was still clinging to his jacket with her face buried into his back. "Hey, can... can I open my eyes now?! Is it still scary?" the frightened girl asked him.

"Eh, j-just keep them closed a little longer. I'll have use out of here in no time" Naruto told the girl. It felt a bit awkward with everyone staring at her and subsequently him the way they were, but at least she was still safe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Been a while since I updated this story, but at last I come with a new chapter for you all! I hope you enjoy it.**

 **(Marshalanime does not own Naruto or** **Nurarihyon no Mago)**

Walking down the stone steps from one of Kyoto's shrines with his mother a young Naruto had a melancholic expression. His mother had come here to learn a bit from the omnyoji who protect the city. It had been something she's wanted too do for years but until now there was always something that came up, and while the two weeks they spent here seemed short she had learned quite a bit.

Nurarihyon had been against the two of them coming here from the very beginning and it took months for Kushina to wear him down. She was finally healthy enough to go out on her own again and she wasn't going to let his concern keep her cooped up all day. Besides, she was strong enough to protect her baby boy should the worst happen.

Still, in the young boy's mind it felt like this trip was ending too soon. He was a bit young to be interested in omnyoji arts like his mother was but Naruto had enjoyed his time in Kyoto. He didn't want it to end. His depressed mood did not go unnoticed by his mother.

Stopping Kushina turned her head to look down at the young boy holding onto her hand. "You already miss your friend, don't you?" the woman asked him to which he nodded. It wasn't hard for her to guess, after all he had spent so much time following her around. At first it seemed like she didn't want him around and interrupting her training but she quickly warmed up to the boy and ended up playing with him when ever Kushina was busy.

Leaning down Kushina tipped the boy's head up by his chin so that he could look at her. "Saying goodbye can be hard, but sometimes it's unavoidable. The memories you made will stay with you though, so always keep them close riiight here" Kushina told the boys, pressing her finger ever so lightly against his heart as she reached the end.

His mother's words made him feel a little better, and with a small smile the boy nodded his head.

Standing back up Kushina took hold of Naruto's hand again. "Come on, everyone will be worried if we keep them waiting" the woman said as they continued to move down the stone steps. "Besides," she began after a moment, "when we get home you can write your friend a letter. I'm sure she'd be happy to get one from you".

Hearing his mother Naruto tilted his head up to look at her. Slowly but surely a big grin spread across his face. "What are we waiting for then? Let's get home!" the boy happily cheered as he let go of his mother's hand and ran ahead of her.

As Kushina playfully called out for him to slow down her words grew more and more faint in the blond's ears. As his foot hit the ground once more Naruto suddenly stopped, confused that it wasn't hard stone that his foot landed on. Looking down he found that he was standing on grass and cherry blossom petals. No longer was he that young boy and no longer was he in Kyoto. As another petal drifted past his head Naruto looked up to see that he was standing under the weeping cheery tree in his backyard.

The moon was high in the night sky as a breeze blew gently through the air, causing the branches to sway back and forth. On one of the branched sat a man who gave of a sense of familiarity. His back was pressed against the trunk of the tree as his narrow red eyes stared into Naruto'a cerulean blue orbs. His hair was long and seemed to defy gravity as it stretched out behind him, being a bright golden yellow on top while pitch black beneath. On either side of his face were three curved markings that looked like someone had taken an ink brush to his face. He wore a burnt orange cloak over his black kimono as simple looking sword in a simple looking sheath rested against his right shoulder.

"Thinking of the past again?" the man asked.

After a brief moment something seemed to click in Naruto's head and a smirk played across his face. "What do you think I am, and old man?" the blond responded.

With a smirk oh his own the man sitting in the tree let out a small chuckle. "We're not old yet" the man said as his gaze turned up to the moon over head. "There's still a lot fr us to do before we get old" the man said as if speaking to the wind.

"'We'?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow. Jumping up to the same branch his counterpart was on Naruto turned to his night form while crouched down. "It's hardly a 'we' when you've only shown your face once. What's the big idea with that anyway?" Naruto asked the youkai.

Turning his gaze back to his day form Night Naruto gave him a smirk. "You've never needed my help" the youkai told him. Even as a human Naruto ws strong enough to handle the weak youkai that tried to stake claim to Nura territory, and if he wasn't then he had many within the main house to help him. There's simply never been a reason for Night Naruto to handle a fight since that time with Gagoze four years ago.

"Tell that to general counsel" Day Naruto quickly responded, and for a moment his night form had nothing to counter with.

Eventually Night Naruto had to give in, replying with "You have a point". "Tell ya what" Night Naruto began as he leaned forward a bit. "If you really want me too, I'll lend you my strength" the man told his human counterpart as the dream world they were in started to fade away with the coming morning.

Like usual another day of school came and went and Naruto was once more returning the the Nura estate. Oddly enough Kiyotsugu and Shima didn't show up today but Naruto wasn't too worried about it. He was sure the two of them will show up tomorrow.

"I'm home" the blond called out as he entered the house and as he closed the door behind him he found many of the buildings smaller youkai in the entrance hall shoving sweats into their mouths. That in of itself wasn't an odd sight, but the sweats they were gorging themselves with were a rather expensive kind.

As Naruto was wondering where they got the snacks his grandfather came into the room. "Oh Naruto, don't tell me you went to school again?" the man asked as his grandson walked past the other youkai.

"Where else would I be all day?" the blond asked his grandfather as he walked past the old youkai.

For a moment Nurarihyon simply watched as his grandson walked past and into the hall behind him. "They're gifts from Lord Zen. He should be waiting for you in the parlor" Nurarihyon told the boy who stopped upon hearing him.

Looking over his shoulder the blond blinked twice before saying "Zen? He's really here?". Without waiting for a reply the blond turned his head back forward and ran for the parlor, leaving his grandfather behind to worry about getting a share of manju.

It didn't take long for Naruto to reach his destination and upon sliding the parlor door open he was met with the sight of his old friend patiently waiting in a cushion. His hair was scruffy and faintly blond with a part that became black at the base of his neck. His skin was pale except for the blue-violet marking visible on his chest due to the largely open, light purple kimono he wore. Over his kimono Zen wore a dark blue haori with red details along the sleeves and collar, as well as having a simplistic feather design dotted here and there on the fabric. As the man turned to address the younger blond Naruto could see his deep red eyes.

"Master!" Zen said as he placed a fist onto the tatami mat floor. "It's been such a long time" Zen tells the boy with a pleased expression.

"Too long" Naruto replied with a smile as he closed the door behind him. "How have you been?" the blond asked as the many youkai watching from the crawl space above the room started to talk among themselves.

"So who is that youkai anyway?"

"And how does he know our Master?"

"He's the head of the Zen group. He use to come and play with Master Naruto when he was little. He's like a big brother to the Master"

"Excuse me" Tsurara's voice game from outside just before she grabbed the door from her kneeling position and slid it open. "I have brought some tea for you" the snow woman said as she bowed her head. Picking up the plate holding the two cups Tsurara stood up and went to walk into the parlor, only for her foot to catch on the track for the door and for the tea to go flying through the air. Ultimately it was Naruto who bore the brunt of her clumsiness as the hot liquid splashed all over him. Panicking as her master yelped out in pain Tsurara made several quick apologies before using her ice powers to blow cold air onto the blond, resulting in him freezing over.

As it registered with the woman that she may have over done it with the icy wind Zen's patience reached its end and he blew up at the woman. "Yuki-Onna! What do you think you're doing!? How dare you treat Naruto, my sworn brother, with such disrespect! There will be no mercy for you" Zen yelled at the girl as he got up from his cushion, absolutely terrifying her as she clung shaking to the paper wall.

"P-Please forgive me!" Tsurara blurted out before turning and running away, though not without sliding the door shut behind her.

With Tsurara gone Zen's anger subsides, sitting back onto his cushion as his pleased expression once more returned to his face. "Well, now that we've got that out of the way... what pranks have you pulled today Master?" Zen asked the boy.

"Today? None, but just last week I filled this cranky shopkeepers' register with bugs. The guy didn't know what to do when he opened it up!" Naruto happly told the bird youkai, doing his best to ignore the nipping cold still lingering on him.

"Hahaha! You're still the same Naruto I remember! I wish I could've been there to see it" Zen replied with a big grin on his face as memories of years long past resurfaced in his mind briefly. Back then Naruto's pranks left no one untouched, not even those within the main house. The only person he'd never even think about targeting was his mother, though that may have been only out of fear of what she'd do if he did.

Once the two of them calmed down their laughter a comfortable silence fell over the room. For Zen, he wished that moments like this could last forever, just him and Naruto spending time together. The two of them didn't meet nearly enough, but Zen hadn't come all this way for a simple visit. "I'm very sorry that I haven't been able to attend the clan's general assembly" Zen told the boy.

"Huh? Oh, don't worry about it. Trust me, if there's one thing I'm not looking forward to when I become the head of the Nura clan it's those boring meetings. All it ever comes down too is a big bragging contest" Naruto told the man.

"Now, now, Master, you really mustn't be saying things like that. You will after all become the Supreme Commander one day. You'll have to get use to attending the meetings" Zen told the blond.

"Ha ha, yeah... one day..." Naruto responded with a nervous smile as his eyes darted to the floor between him and Zen. This did not go unnoticed by the youkai.

As his expression became serious Zen decided now was a good time to get into why he came here today. "I've heard the rumors, Naruto. There are many in the clan who believe you're an unworthy successor and all but a few in the general counsel refuse to support you. I want to hear it from you, what's going on?" Zen asked the younger blond.

Under Zen's gaze Naruto felt like he might shrink down to nothing, and as much as he didn't want Zen to know about his failings it was likely that he already knew. With a sigh Naruto's head and shoulders dropped. "It's because I'm only one-forth youkai" Naruto told the man, not even daring to look up and see the expression Zen had right now. "I've only ever awoken as a youkai once, and because of that the general counsel sees me as nothing more than a human and refuse to accept me as the next heir" Naruto explained to the man and then waited for his reply.

After several agonizing seconds Naruto heard Zen ask in an uncomfortably calm tone, "Is that it?". When Naruto nodded his head he heard the fabric of Zen's clothes shift as he stood up. "Those bastards!" Zen yelled out, causing Naruto's head to jerk up in surprise. Zen's reaction wasn't what Naruto was expecting, but now he was witness to a truly furious Zen. "If they think they can get away with this kind of disrespect then they've got another thing coming! I'll show those old fools wha-" Zen was raging as he began to storm his way out of the room, only to stop when he felt someone grab his sleeve.

Looking over his shoulder Zen saw Naruto looking up at him with a serious look of his own. "Zen... I'm relieved that you're not angry at me, but please don't do anything stupid. Even if you weren't so sickly taking on the general counsel is too much for you" Naruto told the man.

"But... Master..." Zen said with clenched fists. Zen only needed one look at Naruto to know that he should be the next heir, for the others to be blind to that was so far beyond his ability to comprehend.

"I give you my word, I will become the next heir. So take it easy for now. I still need you around once I become the Supreme Commander you know?" Naruto told Zen, his expression softening a bit towards the end.

Seeing the look in Naruto's eyes Zen took a moment to cool his head. "Fine, I'll trust this to you then. Just don't keep me in the dark, I'm here to help when you need it" Zen said as his head turned forward and his body relaxed. Naruto wouldn't make a statement like that if he didn't intend to follow through with it, so he'll trust him on this. Besides, if Naruto really was the same as back then then he'll need someone around to keep him from doing anything really stupid. Who could be better than his sworn brother?


End file.
